From his perch on the catwalk high
above the stage the Mysterious Stranger watched as the radio evangelist
worked his live audience into a frenzy. The Stranger knew full-well
the mesmeric powers this preacher wielded over the masses, that
even now his voice was poisoning living rooms across America as
people tuned in and fell under the spell of the Reverend Elijah
H. Phaustus, or, as he was better known to crime fighters across
the nation, Mesmero.

"…Your salvation shall soon be at hand!" yelled the "preacher",
his face bathed in sweat. The crowd roared its approval. The Stranger
positioned himself directly over Mesmero, three stories below,
and began to work a small cable out of his utility belt.

"Fear not, brothers and sisters! You see before you a means of gaining instant access to the Paradise of our Lord!"

With that, the tarp was whisked away, revealing a large iron cylinder.
The Stranger dared not believe it was what he thought it was.

"The nuclear warhead stolen from Oak Ridge just last week. Mesmero
you diabolical…" he muttered as he dove from the catwalk, even
as the villain pressed the detonator on the bomb…

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